Rail-chair.



No. 799,557. PATENTBD SEPT. 12, 1905.

A. GRALA.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED ma. 2s. 1905.

Y, @J7 8 Y "2a 2d Meri Gramm;

Gramm,

UNITED STATES ALBERT GRALA, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed March 23, 1905. Serial No. 251.625.

T0 2f/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, ALBERT'GRALA, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Chairs,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in rail-chairs particularlydesigned for supporting the meeting ends of railroad-rails.

The main object of the invention is the provision of a rail-chair madein two sections and having hinged connection lbelow the base of therail, said hinged connection being so arranged that the weight of therail tends to hold the sections of the chair in closed position withrelation to the rail.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for securingthe chair to the tie, said means also serving to maintain the sectionsof the chair in closed relation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a tie-support ofparticular construction in the use of which sinking of the tie isprevented;

The preferred embodiment of the details of the invention will bedescribed in the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showingthe meeting ends of railroad-rails supported by my improved chair, thetie-support being shown in place. Fig. 2 is an end elevationillustrating the invention applied to both track-rails. Fig. 3 is anenlarged transverse section through the rail, chair, and tie,illustrating particularly the connection of the chair to the tie. Fig. 4is a side elevation illustrating my invention in use with a single tie.Fig. 5 is a perspective of the outer section of the chair.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference-numerals indicate likeparts throughout the several views, my improved railchair comprisesanouter section 1 and an inner section 2, the former being designed forcontact with the outer side of the rail,

while the latter engages the inner side of the rail.

Section l comprises a base-plate 3, approximately e ual in length tohalf the width of the rai -base 4, a curved portion 5, arranged tosnugly engage the upper part or surface of the rail-base,- and avertical plate 6, arranged to bear against the outer side of therail-web 7,being of a length to terminate when in position immediatelybeneath the' tread portion 8 of the rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.The base 3 is cut out to provide a series of knuckles 9, with which theopposing section of the chair has hinged connection.

Section 2 of the chair comprises a baseplate 10 equal in dimensions tothe basepate 3 and provided with suitable knuckles 11 to iit within thecut-out portions of the base-plate 3 and register with the knuckles 9. Aplate 12 projects from the base-platej 10 to overlie and snugly engagethe upper surface of the inner part of the rail-base, a plate 13projecting upwardly from the plate 12 to contact with the rail-web 7 onthe inner side, terminating beneath and in contact with the r1`hesections described are practical duplicates of each other with theexception that I prefer to make plate 6 of section 1 of the chair ofgreater thickness than plate 13 of section 2, for the reason that thestrain against the rail is outward and toward the plate 6, and byforming this plate thicker less danger of breakage is present. I alsoprefer to so construct the plate 6 that its vertical surface is inpractical alinement with the vertical outer edge of the tread of therail,while the vertical surface of plate 13 is slightly within the planeof the vertical inner edge of the tread, whereby possible interruptionor contact with the iiange of the wheel is avoided.

It will be noted that the knuckles 9 and 11 are formed in thesame planeas the baseplates 3 and 10 of the chair-sections and that the alinedopenings 14, extending longitudinally through said knuckles for thereception of the hinge-pin 15, are arranged some distance in rear of theforward or free edge of the knuckles. This construction is a verymaterial part of my invention, for the reason that when thechair-sections are spread apart at their upper ends or are in openposition the free ends of the knuckles 9 and 11 will project above theplane or surface of the base plates 3 and 10, as will be obvious, andthat when the rail is within said chair the lower plane of its base willdepress said proj ecting' ends of the knuckles into the plane of saidIOO IOS

base-plates 3 and 10, whereby the weight of the rails will operate toeffectively maintain the chair-sections in closed position.

In use the chair-sections are slightly separated and the rail endsinserted longitudinally therethrough, operating, as hereinbeforedescribed, to force the sections in closed positionthat is, in contactthroughout with the surface of the rails. The usual 'fish-bolt 16 is tobe passed through the plates 6 and 13 of the sections and through therail-web, preventing longitudinal movement of the rails.

The chairs are arranged to seat in recesses '17, formed in the ordinaryties 18, wedgekeys 19 being driven into said ties adjacent the sideedges of the chairs to prevent their longitudina movement. By preferencethe keys or spikes seat in recesses 20 in the side walls of the recesses17 and in alined recesses 21, formed in the respective side edges of thechair-sections. The walls of the recesses 20 and 21 are inclined fromthe vertical to permit inclination of the spike in driving, and saidspike is formed with an overhanging head 22 to bear upon the uppersurface of the respective chair-sections, whereby to preventaccidental-separation of the sections and at the same time bind thechairs in the tie-recesses 17.

To guard against sinking of the ties, I provide supports 23, comprisingbox-like structures open at bottom and having inclined walls 24. Thesesupports are secured to the ends of the ties by tie-rods 25, preferablyeach comprising a single length of material passed through openings 26in the closed top of the support, with the ends projected vertically incontact with each side of the tie and terminally bent down upon theupper surface thereof, as at 27.

By virtue of the open-bottom formation of these supports the tie willsink into the earth until the support is filled, when further sinkingwill be prevented and the ties solidly supported.

If desired, the supports may extend transversely of the ties, with theirends projecting beyond the side edges of the ties, in which positionthey will serve as anchors for .the'ties and may be embedded in theusual erient filling or rock ballast for the road- By preference thechairs are of a length to rest upon two adjacent ties, and thetie-supports are each secured to the ends of two ties, though Icontemplate the use of a chair and tie-support adapted for connectionwith a single tie, such as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The construction provides a rail chair wherein the weight of the railsoperates to maintain the chair-sections in closed position, thusrendering the chair effective should the additional fastening meansprovided, as bolts 16, become inoperative.

The tie-support is thoroughly effective to prevent sinking of the tieandis adapted for ready connection to and disconnection from the tie. Ifdesired to remove the chairs from the ties, it is only necessary toloosen the wedge-spikes 19 from their seats and slightly withdraw themto disengage the overhanging heads 22 from the chairs, when the chairsmay be readily lifted from their tie-recesses without further removal ofthe s ikes. This result is directly due to the inc ination of thenotches 20 and 21, by virtue of which the heads of the spikes on aslight withdrawal of the latter move into aplane beyond the plane of therail-chair, as will be obvious.

Various changes may be effected in the above-described constructionwithout materially altering the nature thereof, and I wish it understoodthat I consider all such as within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Arail-chair comprising two sections hinged together, the hinge-jointbeing in a plane with the base of the sections, in combination with atieformed with a recess to wholly receive the chair and prevent opening ofthe sections.

2. A rail-chair comprising two sections, each section being providedwith projecting knuckles in a plane with the base-plate of the sections,the free ends of the knuckles projecting above the plane of saidbase-plates when the sections are separated to open the chair, incombination with a tie formed with a recess to wholly receive the chairand prevent opening of the sections.

3. In combination with a rail-tie formed with a transverse recess, of arail-chair comprising hinged sections adapted to seat in said recess,and spikes engaging recesses formed in the wall of the tie-recess and intherail-chair, said spikes having heads to bear against the rail-chairsections.

4. In combination with a railroad tie formed with a transverse recess,of a railchair comprising hinged sections adapted to seat in saidrecess, the edge of the chair and the wall of the tie-recess beingformed with notches, and spikes to register with said notches and to bedriven into the tie, said spikes being formed with projecting heads tocontact with the surface of the rail-chair sections.

5. In combination with a railroad-tie, of a support therefor comprisinga box-like structure arranged transversely of the tie, means for movablysecuring said support to the tie, said support being open at the bottomand IOO of said tie-rods being bent to engage the 1o upper surface ofthe tie.

In testimony whereof l elli); iny signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

' ALBERT GRALA.

Witnesses:

DAVID W. GoULD, JOHN L. FLETCHER.

